Snow Day

I love that crunching sound as I walk through fresh snow!

A snow day, we set out this morning to walk the Bay to Baker Greenways Trail from Cornwall Park to Squalicum Beach and back again.

A chilly wind was blowing as we approached the beach.

My favorite tree on the beach - regardless of the season!

Torrie makes a friend so they run and play on the beach.

The tide rolls onto the beach and the wind blows.

Torrie can't resist the water so runs in for a quick swim.

Very little snow remains on this driftwood pile we find on the beach.

We head to the trail again for our walk back home.

Along the way, we pass rose hips (not mine!).

We pause at the overlook behind Birchwood Playfield and view the field between us and Squalicum Parkway.

Torrie even stops to roll in the snow!

Nearly home again, my feet are sufficiently wet. It is time to go in to warm up.

We've crunched enough snow for one morning.

A beautiful snow day!

On the Trails Again - Dog Walking

It was such a beautiful day again today! Instead of walking our regular route from Brownsville to Barkley Village and back again, we decided to take that other fork in the trail today – the one to the right.

What we discovered was one more beautiful trail system - a trail skirting around the edge of another forested reserve.

Staying high above my regular route, the view was absolutely beautiful! I could look out and see the Barkley buildings, the Irongate/Hannegan buildings, Bellingham Bay and the islands behind the Whatcom Museum of History & Art, and the towers on top of King Mountain.

After thoroughly exploring those new trails and enjoying the view as the sunshine filtered through to our faces, we decided to head down to our regular trail after all so we could visit our favorite duck pond.




A beautifully sunny day in late January in Bellingham, the temperature last night reported at 25 and high for the afternoon predicted at 36, we found the pond abandoned of the ducks normally there and frozen with visible chunks of ice. I was delighted to spot one beautiful blue heron in the distance sitting in the sun on the ice near the cattails.




Today, what a beautiful gift!

The Swim Meet

Platte Canyon High School, just west of Bailey, Colorado on U.S. Highway 285, about four miles southwest of Bailey and 40 miles southwest of the Denver area, is home of the new Marge E. Hudak Pool. Participating with the Colorado High School Activities Association and the Metropolitan League, my granddaughters, Brittany and Megan, swim competitetively with their Husky girls 4A swimming team. My daughter Jennifer attended their meet last week and has sent along these pictures.

Go Huskies! Go!

Visit Platte Canyon High School on the web at http://plattechs.tripod.com/

Go, Be Free

Filtered sunshine through the window,

Surrounding me in my bed as I awoke
Shining that all is well in my world today.

Dark clouds soon cover my morning sky,
Yet the smile of earlier sunshine
Remains clear and true in my mind.

Morning walking along the path,

At my feet and on its back
My lucky penny shines.

Reminded of that childhood verse,
My found penny will take its place
In my pocket for the day.

With this new coin,
I can go, be free

With a future of more to greet.

~~~ The Childhood Verse of Memories ~~~

"See a penny, pick it up,
All this day, I'll have good luck,

If the head is facing you,
What you wish for will soon come true!

If it is the back you see,
With your money, go, be free!

If a silver coin is found,
All you invest will be sound.

If a coin is at your feet,
Soon you will some money greet!"

Eagles Along the Nooksack

Every year, spawned-out salmon attract hundreds of eagles to the banks of the Nooksack River along the Mount Baker Highway as the eagles migrate south after the weather cools in the Frazier River Valley of British Columbia.

This afternoon we drove out the Mt. Baker Highway, from Bellingham to Deming, in hopes of viewing some of these beautiful birds.



Stopping at the convenience store in Deming to ask directions to the Deming Homestead Park and to inquire about other good locations to observe the eagles on an afternoon like this, we preserved precious daylight hours and were soon observing many of the majestic birds. The lady running the store provided easy directions to the park, and as he purchased a beer, a customer told me about an abundance of eagles viewable from a bridge further down the highway - indicating that if we reached the brewery we had gone too far.


From the parking area of the 15-acre Deming Homestead Park, several eagles were spotted in the distance soaring above the river. The parks department has constructed salmon habitat structures which provide a good environment for the salmon to spawn and their young to hatch. There is a trail through the park with interpretive signs providing information about the eagles and the salmon.

Hoping to see more eagles, we head further down the highway until we spot the Truck Road, turn and reach the bridge we were told about. Eagles are easily visible perched in the trees right along the side of the road.

We watch eagles as they feed on the spawned salmon that have washed up on the sand bar.

On the other side of the bridge, a duck is spotted swimming in the river near a floating spawned salmon . . .

Barely visible in this picture is a rather large eagle perched on top of the snag on the other side of the river . . .

Eagles are perched on both sides of the bridge and in the trees running up and down the river.

A visible snow line graces a beautiful winter day as we watch the eagles . . .

On the drive back to Bellingam, we decide to take a little side trip and drive north to see if we can spot any eagles along the portion of the Nooksack River that flows through the town of Ferndale. If you look closely, you will see two bald eagles perched on a branch on the first of the shorter trees on the left side of this photo . . .

Thanks, Mike, for joining me today to view the eagles.

Winter Blooms

My winter is brightened by blooms!

I've had this Christmas cactus for around six years and it continues to bloom year after year from the middle of November through the middle of February.

And my spider plants have been blooming for the last two months . . .

What a treat this is for me during the winter months!